If smoking is not inhaled into the lungs, is it not so harmful?

Whether smoking enters the lungs or not is actually similar to the harm to the human body. Even if smoking does not enter the lungs, the human body will breathe, and the exhaled smoke will be inhaled again by the human body, and harmful substances in the smoke will still remain in the mouth, nose, pharynx and throat. These adhered harmful substances will still be inhaled by the human body, and carcinogens remaining in the mouth will enter the gastrointestinal tract with saliva and food, increasing the risk of malignant tumors such as gastric cancer.

Extended data:

Smoking is just a mouth addiction. If you don't inhale it into your lungs, it won't do harm to your body. This is probably the most self-deceiving view, because no one can hold their breath while smoking. As long as they breathe in, the smoke they spit in the air will be inhaled into the lungs again, which is equivalent to smoking their own second-hand smoke. Cigarette PM2.5 in the air will continue to do harm to the lungs and human body, so as long as they smoke, no one can just inhale into the mouth without inhaling into the lungs.

The misunderstanding of smoking;

1. Secondhand smoke is less harmful than primary smoke. Secondhand smoke includes two kinds of cigarettes. One is the smoke exhaled by smokers, which is called mainstream smoke. One is the smoke produced when cigarettes burn, which is called split smoke. No matter what kind of smoke a non-smoker inhales, it is second-hand smoke. The harmful substances in second-hand smoke are often 2 times more than mainstream smoke, 3 times more tar, 5 times more carbon monoxide and about 50 times more carcinogens. In an unventilated place, the amount of cigarettes inhaled by non-smokers 1 hour is equivalent to the average dose of one cigarette inhaled.

There is a popular saying that "a cigarette after a meal makes you feel happy", which has influenced many smokers to develop the habit of smoking after a meal. After eating, the esophagus and gastrointestinal tract have sufficient blood supply and are easily absorbed. If you smoke at this time, you will increase the intake of harmful substances than usual, which is more harmful to the human body.

3. Smoke passing through trachea twice is more harmful than lung. Although alveoli and smoke only "meet" once, alveoli contact more smoke than trachea, and alveoli are places for gas exchange, which easily adsorb harmful substances of smoke in the lungs, so it is not difficult to find out why smokers are prone to lung cancer.

Therefore, it is an important decision for smokers to quit smoking as soon as possible for themselves and their families, because no matter what kind of cigarettes, including e-cigarettes, hookahs and cigars, they will have a great impact on their health, and the benefits brought by quitting smoking will not only benefit patients themselves, but also benefit the whole family.

References:

People's Network-Will smoking not harm the lungs? Experts interpret three misunderstandings of smoking.